Corn-on-the-cob butterer

ABSTRACT

A device for applying butter to corn-on-the-cob is disclosed. The device includes a base having a pair of spaced, parallel blades projecting therefrom and a multiplicity of relatively stiff, butter-impaling bristles located between the blades. The blades and bristles terminate at an imaginary cylindrical surface with the blades being parallel to a straight line generatrix of the surface so that the blades and bristles conform to the surface of an ear of corn. To apply butter to an ear of corn, the bristles are forced downwardly into a butter pat so that the pat is retained by the device. Preferably the bristles are formed from a relatively poor heat conducting material so that the butter is melted by contact with the ear of corn and unmelted butter is retained by the bristles so that only a preselected amount of butter is applied to the corn. The blades facilitate removal of a pat of butter from a plate and prevent the butter from running down the cylindrical surfaces of the corn during use.

iJnite States atent [191 Wtijt'ilt 14 1 May29,1973

[ CORN-ON-THE-COBBUTTERER [76] Inventor: Joseph D. Wojcik, 128 SolonRoad,

Bedford, Ohio 44146 22 Filed: May 15,1972

21 Appl.No.: 253,558

[52] 11.8. C1 ..30/124, 401/12 [51] Int. Cl. ..B26b 11/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..l18/l3,76;

1,494,018 5/1924 Randolph ..30/l24 2,814,868 12/1957 Wellinger ..30/l243,005,225 10/1961 Faust et al. ..40l/l2 3,031,712 5/1962 Wilson ..401/l23,449,829 6/1969 Mattinson ..30/l24 Primary Examiner-Morris KaplanAttorney-Harold F. McNenny, Donald W. Farrington,John F. Pearne et al.

[57] 7 ABSTRACT A device for applying butter to corn-on-the-cob isdisclosed. The device includes a base having a pair of spaced, parallelblades projecting therefrom and a multiplicity of relatively stiff,butter-impaling bristles located between the blades. The blades andbristles terminate at an imaginary cylindrical surface with the bladesbeing parallel to a straight line generatrix of the surface so that theblades and bristles conform to the surface of an ear of corn. To applybutter to an ear of corn, the bristles are forced downwardly into abutter pat so that the pat is retained by the device. Preferably thebristles are formed from a relatively poor heat conducting material sothat the butter is melted by contact with the ear of corn and unmeltedbutter is retained by the bristles so that only a preselected amount ofbutter is applied to the corn. The blades facilitate removal of a pat ofbutter from a plate and prevent the butter from running down thecylindrical surfaces of the corn during use.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The inventionrelates to corn-on-the-cob butterers and, more particularly, to a cornbutterer that transfers solid butter to an ear of corn so that thebutter is melted by the heat from the corn. Various devices have beenproposed for such a purpose. For example, in U. S. Pat. No. 3,005,225there is disclosed a device for applying butter to corn-on-the-cob whichincludes an arcuate body portion having a smooth corn engaging concavesurface and a convex surface having a plurality of teeth thereon toscrape butter from a stick and to provide reservoirs for the butter.Although this device has proved to be commercially acceptable, it issomewhat inconvenient to use in that relatively little butter is scrapedand stored by the teeth. Furthermore, it is difficult to employ thisdevice to scrape a single pat of butter and since a scraping action isemployed it may be necessary to retain the stick or pat of butter on theplate by holding it with ones fingers.

Another example of a device for applying butter to an ear of corn may befound in U. S. Pat. No. 2,527,149 wherein the patentee discloses abox-like butter reservoir having perforations in the corn engagingportion of the reservoir. According to this patent, heat from the cornis transferred to a piece of butter within the reservoir to melt thebutter and permit it to drip through the reservoir perforations. Such adeivce, is difficult to clean in that butter may harden within theperforations so that care must be taken in cleaning the device.Furthermore, butter must be transferred manually to the reservoir, thusmaking the device somewhat cumbersome.

Other commercially available corn buttering devices include brusheshaving relatively flexible bristles to apply the buttenl-Iowever, suchdevices require that the butter be softened or melted so that the brushwill pick up the butter. Obviously such devices are difficult to clean.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION facilitate the removal of a pat of butter froma plate.

A pat of butter may be easily picked up by the device by forcing thebristles downwardly into the pat and then removing the pat from theplate. The butter will impaled by the bristles and held thereby in acorn buttering position. As the ear of corn is buttered, heat from thecorn will slowly melt the butter in a progressive manner. Preferably,the bristles are made from a relatively poor heat conducting material sothat the butter is melted by surface contact with the corn rather thanby conduction through the bristles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a perspective view of acorn-on-the-cob buttering device according to this invention showing thedevice in use.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device. FIG. 3 is a side elevationalview of the device. FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawing thereis illustrated a device 10 which is adapted to pick up and apply a patof butter B to an ear of corn Ill. The device It) includes a curved baseportion 12 having a convex bottom surface 13 from which a multiplicityof relatively stiff, butter-impaling bristles 14 project. In theillustrated embodiment of the invention, the bristles 14 have equallength and terminate at an imaginary cylinder 15. The bristles 14 arelocated between a pair of blades 16 and 17 which also terminate at theimaginary cylinder 15 and which have edges 1% parallel to a generatrixof the cylinder.

The device 10 also includes an integral, angularly related handle 19which facilitates proper positioning of the device on an ear of corn.

To butter an ear of com, the bristles 141 are pressed downwardly into apat of butter so that the butter is impaled by the bristles 14 and islocated between the blades 16 and 17. The blades 16 and I7 facilitateremoval of the pat of butter from the plate when the user scrapes theedges 18 across the plate. With the butter impaled on the bristles 14,the device is brought into contact with an ear of corn and is movedacross the corn in an axial direction. Preferably the device 10, and atleast the bristles 14, are made from a relatively poor heat conductingmaterial such as nylon to minimize heat conduction from the bristles tothe butter. Thus the butter tends to remain impaled by the bristles andis melted substantially solely by surface contact. During the butteringoperation, the blades 16 and I7 tend to confine the butter and preventit from running downwardly along the corn.

Since a pat of butter is 1 A inches square and about A inch thick it hasbeen found that the base 12 should be about 2 inches long by l 12 incheswide. Furthermore, it has been found that the bristles 14 shouldpreferably be about inch long and with a spacing between the bristles ofabout 1% inch. If the bristles are spaced too far apart they will noteffectively impale and retain the butter. If on the other hand thebristles are too close together the device will be difiicult to cleanand the butter may not be readily melted by the heat I of the com.

The invention is not restricted to the slavish imitation of each andevery detail set forth above. Obviously devices may be provided whichchange, eliminate, or add certain details without departing from thescope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

I. A corn-on-the-cob butterer comprising a base, a multiplicity ofrelatively stiff, butter-impaling bristles projecting from said base andterminating at an imaginary cylindrical surface, a pair of imperviousblades projecting from said base having edges terminating at saidimaginary cylindrical surface, said edges being parallel to a straightline generatrix of said surface, and said bristles being located betweensaid blades.

2. A corn-on-the-cob butterer according to claim 1 wherein said base hasa handle projecting therefrom.

3. A corn-on-the-cob butterer according to claim 1 wherein said bristlesare relatively poor conductors of heat.

4. A corn-on-the-cob butterer according to claim 1 wherein said bristlesare nylon.

1. A corn-on-the-cob butterer comprising a base, a multiplicity ofrelatively stiff, butter-impaling bristles projecting from said base andterminating at an imaginary cylindrical surface, a pair of imperviousblades projecting from said base having edges terminating at saidimaginary cylindrical surface, said edges being parallel to a straightline generatrix of said surface, and said bristles being located betweensaid blades.
 2. A corn-on-the-cob butterer according to claim 1 whereinsaid base hAs a handle projecting therefrom.
 3. A corn-on-the-cobbutterer according to claim 1 wherein said bristles are relatively poorconductors of heat.
 4. A corn-on-the-cob butterer according to claim 1wherein said bristles are nylon.